Chapter 4

The next day, Arthur left his mansion and wandered around the castle. He had come to the crowded castle because he realized that helping people who were troubled from yesterday's events would make them happy.

Of course, the people who worked here all knew Arthur. Unfortunately, his reputation in the castle was far from good. While he didn't often act unreasonably, he was treated specially due to his high healing ability. If he were to upset him, the surrounding nobles would go out of their way to avoid trouble, which was inevitable.

In other words, the servants treated him like a sore spot. So, when he asked, "Is there anything troubling you?" they all responded with confusion, saying, "There is nothing troubling me."

"Hmm. What should I do...? It's good that everyone is not troubled... but..."

Unaware of their desire to avoid him, Arthur took their words at face value and walked around the castle, thinking such things.

"Even a commoner received healing! Could it be that you used your body to seduce him!"

"That's not true... I didn't do anything like that! Besides... I don't think he would want such a thing!"

"What do you know about Prince Arthur!"

He heard someone being shouted at. Curious, he peeked and saw a maid in a uniform and a nobleman in expensive clothes. No, it wasn't a conversation. The nobleman was one-sidedly picking on the maid.

Ha ha ha, this is a chance to do a good deed!

Arthur, eager to help for his own benefit, approached.

"Damn, that naive man... to use his healing power on a trivial commoner... he must be a whore... no, wait. If I can seduce him, I can easily control him..."

The man, unaware of Arthur's approach, muttered and leered. Arthur knew this man well. This was Goyoku, one of the nobles who had surrounded him and often asked for healing. However, as soon as the revolution began and defeat was certain, Goyoku abandoned Arthur and fled overseas. It was later discovered that he had embezzled Arthur's money, making him a greedy and despicable man.

Seeing this man act so arrogantly made Arthur feel irritated...

Thinking of his past life and wanting to complain, he quickened his pace when he realized the maid being harassed was the one who had spilled tea the other day.

"Hey, maid! Use your body to seduce Prince Arthur. If you do, I'll give you a special bonus. It's not a bad deal, is it?"

"No... I didn't become a maid to do such things!"

"Hmph, do you think a commoner like you can defy me? Not only you, but I can also take away your family's jobs."

"That's..."

Though the distance was too great to hear much, Arthur saw the troubled look on the maid's face and felt a strong urge to help her. After all, she was one of the few people who had been kind to him when he was captured in his previous life.

"What's going on between you and her?"

"Wh-What, Prince Arthur!?"

"Prince Arthur...!!"

Goyoku's voice tensed at Arthur's sudden appearance. It was understandable, given the rumors that even a high noble had been demoted for upsetting Arthur.

On the other hand, the maid's expression softened, perhaps because she remembered how kindly he had treated her the other day. Seeing this, Arthur felt a sense of joy.

"I was scolding the maid for causing trouble for Prince Arthur. A maid serving the royal family, even if she is a commoner, cannot be excused for such a mistake. Right?"

Perhaps there was something he didn't want to be heard, Goyoku glared at the maid and spoke. The mistake was probably about spilling tea.

"It's my fault. I'm sorry. So, can you calm down?"

To prove that she was not at fault, he bowed, causing Goyoku to gasp.

"Such... Prince Arthur is apologizing...? To a servant...?"

Goyoku's surprise was understandable. Until now, Arthur had treated the maids as if they were not even human, like air. While he didn't resort to unreasonable violence, he was selfish and never considered their feelings. He had never mediated in an argument, let alone bowed to a maid.

The servants who attended Arthur felt a wall and a sense of sadness, even complaining that the royal family was unbearable. That was the evaluation of Arthur as a person. In short, he was a naive and unbearable brat. Therefore, Goyoku was shocked by the fact that Arthur was apologizing.

"Please raise your head, Prince Arthur. As expected of Prince Arthur, to be so kind to a maid like this... You truly have the makings of a king. If you say so, I have nothing to say. Maid, what I said earlier was a joke. Don't tell anyone."

With an exaggerated reaction, Goyoku praised Arthur and tried to leave. His demeanor made it seem as if he truly respected Arthur, which was impressive.

I was fooled by you in my previous life, but I know your true nature now.

Indeed, he was trying to leave the scene quickly. There must be something he was ashamed of. Arthur, determined not to let him go, grabbed his shoulder and smiled.

"Perfect timing... Recently, Morgan has been nagging me to do some work. He says a prince should do at least a little. Can you bring me the ledger of my assets? I'll do the calculations myself from now on."

"What...?"

At these words, Goyoku's eyes widened and his face turned pale. Seeing this, Arthur smiled slyly.

Ha ha ha ha, just as I thought. You damn bastard!! You've been embezzling my assets since this time!

Arthur was not a saint. He would not be kind to someone who had abandoned him, and seeing a troublesome person in distress was somewhat entertaining.

"Prince Arthur... You should ignore what that little Morgan says. Leave everything to me..."

"Are you telling me to let Morgan mock me?"

"...Understood. I will prepare it immediately."

When Arthur glared, Goyoku gave up on persuasion and ran away. Arthur knew that once he said something, he would not change his mind, as he had been pampered.

Arthur and the maid were left behind.

"Prince Arthur, thank you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad I could help you."

The maid frowned at Arthur's smile. What was going on? The answer came quickly.

"But, you healed me the other day, and now you're helping me. Why?"

When she timidly asked this natural question, Arthur laughed self-deprecatingly. Ah, right, I asked her the same thing.

Thinking about this, he felt nostalgic and apologetic. After all, he had known nothing about her, not even her name.

"Why... I want to ask you the same thing. Why did you save me... someone who didn't even remember your name after all these years?"

"Save you...?"

It was understandable that she looked puzzled. It was also a mystery to him. Why had she taken care of him even when he had forgotten her name after years of service?

Then, he remembered her dedication...

Thanks to everyone, we've made it to the rankings. Thank you.

I'll aim to climb higher.

I'll update 3 chapters today.

If you find it interesting, please bookmark and rate it.